Jason OwensStaff writer
Fri, May 29, 2026 at 6:20 AM PDT
In this story
The San Antonio Spurs got handled on the road in a Game 5 loss. They returned the favor Thursday night in a dominant 118-91 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder to tie the Western Conference finals at 3 games apiece.
The most anticipated series of the postseason is headed to a winner-take-all Game 7 on Saturday with a trip to the NBA Finals at stake.
There was little doubt about the outcome from the early stages of the game. The Spurs stifled Oklahoma City’s offense and caught fire from deep with eight first-quarter 3s to open a 35-22 lead.
20-0 Spurs run puts game to bed
Then in the third quarter, they slammed the door shut. The Spurs blitzed the Thunder with a 20-0 run, holding Oklahoma City without a point for 7:27 of game clock. They scored 11 of those unanswered points while Victor Wembanyamarested on the bench in a textbook display of team defense for which OKC found no answer.
When the quarter was done, the Thunder got outscored, 32-13 for their lowest output of any quarter this season. And the game was over. By early in the fourth, both teams’ stars were on the bench with the outcome in hand in anticipation of Game 7.
Wemby steps outside, bounces back from Game 5 struggles
As expected from a Spurs blowout, Wembanyama led the way.
The Spurs center struggled inside against OKC’s physical defense in a 4-of-15 effort in Tuesday’s loss. So he stepped outside early in Game 6 to set the tone with two quick 3s as the Spurs forced an early Thunder timeout with a 9-2 lead.
Wembanyama continued to hunt for his shot from outside and finished shooting 4-of-9 from 3 en route to 28 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals. He did his damage in 28 minutes while watching the final 9:20 from the bench. And when he went inside, he found nothing like the resistance he faced in Game 5.
San Antonio’s young backcourt steps up
The Spurs also got more strong play from their young guards to overcome a 1-of-9 shooting effort from veteran De’Aaron Fox (5 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds).
Rookie Dylan Harper impressed again as the leader off the bench with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 turnover while shooting 6 of 9 from the field and 2 of 3 from 3.
Stephon Castle, who struggled with 20 combined turnovers in the first two games of the series, finished with 17 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal and just 1 giveaway. They both contributed to San Antonio’s stifling team defense.
More struggles for SGA, J-Dub a non-factor
San Antonio again held Shai Gilgeous-Alexandershort of his MVP form. The two-time MVP struggled from the field and finished with 15 points, 4 assists and 2 turnovers while shooting 6 of 18 from the field. He also finished a game-worst minus-28.
More NBA news
- After a dominant Game 6, Victor Wembanyama’s winner-take-all moment has arrived
- Jalen Williams played in Thunder’s Game 6 loss to Spurs, but did not start and scored 1 point
- Knicks center Mitchell Robinson reportedly has surgery on broken pinky, plans to play Game 1 of NBA Finals
All-NBA Thunder forward Jalen Williams, meanwhile, returned from a three-plus game absence in the series because of a hamstring to come off the bench. He wasn’t a factor in his 10 minutes with 1 point, 1 assist and 2 turnovers while missing his only shot from the field.
Williams was a true game-time decision and didn’t join the Thunder layup line until five minutes remained in pregame warmups. Oklahoma City would have probably been better off letting him continue to rest ahead of Game 7.
Spurs defense steps up
With Gilgeous-Alexander struggling and Williams a non-factor, Oklahoma City lacked the firepower to overcome a Spurs defense that thrived with and without Wembanyama on the floor.
As usual, Wembanyama’s length was a factor whether or not he was blocking shots. His presence repeatedly led to Thunder misses and transition opportunities for San Antonio.
And he got plenty of help from his teammates, who shut down Oklahoma City’s paths to the basket and protected the rim when he wasn’t in the post.
The result was a night in which the Thunder shot 37.2% from the floor and got to the free-throw line just 12 times, hitting 11. The Spurs blocked seven shots and altered countless others.
OKC also struggled from 3 (10 of 40, 25%) and lost the rebounding battle, 52-43.
Will Spurs, Thunder provide a Game 7 thriller?
Game 6 fit the pattern of a series that’s been competitive as a whole, but not so much within each game. The Spurs won a Game 1 thriller in double overtime before a nine-point Thunder win in Game 2.
The two teams have since traded blowouts in Games 3-6 as neither team has maintained control of the series.
There will be no chance to bounce back from Saturday’s Game 7 in Oklahoma City (8:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock). The winner will advance to face the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals. The loser’s season will be done.LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER30 updates
